From the bush to the Indian Ocean.
Guided self-drive · Two tour leaders · Camping, lodge & hotel nights
“We were a group of like-minded people who met for the first time, travelled over rough roads off the beaten track and saw beauty, not only around us, but also in the hearts of each other.” — Hannelie Roux
This expedition starts at a quiet bush border post at Pandamatenga in Botswana and ends 2,456 km later on Mozambique’s east coast. In between are gravel roads and bush tracks through some of Zimbabwe’s most remote wilderness: Matusadona on the shores of Lake Kariba, the Zambezi floodplains of Mana Pools, and Gonarezhou, “The Place of Elephants”.
You drive your own fully equipped 4×4 in a group of up to 18 guests in 9 vehicles, led by two tour leaders and linked by two-way radio. Highlights along the way include a sunset cruise on Lake Kariba, a ferry crossing to Kariba with your own vehicle, and a night beside the 900-year-old Great Zimbabwe monuments. The journey ends with three nights at Xai-Xai.
This is a semi-catered self-drive expedition. Some meals are included, and others are communal around the fire or prepared yourself. Most nights are spent camping. One night is wild camping with no campsite or facilities, so you must be fully self-sufficient.
The itinerary is a suggested route. Weather, political unrest or unpredictable road conditions may change it, and the final route will be decided closer to departure in 2027.
Highlights
- Pandamatenga border: a quiet bush crossing in a major wildlife corridor between Chobe and Hwange
- Tashinga, Matusadona National Park: two nights on the Lake Kariba shore, where elephant, impala and a resident leopard roam the campsite
- Lake Kariba: a sunset cruise from Matusadona, then a Mhofu Ferry crossing to Kariba with your own vehicle
- Mana Pools: two nights on the Zambezi at a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to elephants, hippos and crocodiles at the Long Pool
- Great Zimbabwe: a hotel night 800 m from the 900-year-old stone monuments that gave the country its name
- Gonarezhou: “The Place of Elephants”, with two nights camping on the Runde River, home of the Chilojo Cliffs
- Swimuwini: “place of the Baobabs”, overlooking the Mwenezi River at Buffalo Bend
- Xai-Xai: three nights between lagoons and coastal dunes, with snorkelling, surf fishing, safe swimming and whale watching in winter
Sixteen days, 2,456 km, three countries.
Pre-tour · 23 April: Most guests make their own arrangements for the night(s) before departure. Before you travel, complete Zimbabwe’s online arrival form, register your vehicle online with ZIMRA, and bring USD cash in small notes. We suggest starting with USD 1,000.
Group meets — Pandamatenga, Botswana
Meet your guide, Johan Pont, and the group on the afternoon of 24 April at Panda Rest Camp, close to the Pandamatenga border post. Fill up and buy any dry snacks before you arrive, because no fresh produce or wood may cross into Zimbabwe. Enjoy a group braai dinner tonight.
Pandamatenga to Matusadona
An early start gets us to the border as it opens. Pandamatenga is a small, rural crossing on a gravel road through unfenced wilderness. We stop in Hwange to refuel and stock up on fresh produce, wood and meat, then continue towards Matusadona. Tonight is a wild camp at a local community primary school, with no facilities.
Matusadona National Park
We travel east to Matusadona, flanked by Lake Kariba and the Ume and Sanyati rivers. The park has been a non-hunting area since 1958. We camp for two nights at Tashinga, on a peninsula on the lakeshore, where elephant, impala, bushbuck and a resident leopard share the campsite.
Matusadona National Park
A day at leisure in the park to relax or explore on a game drive in your own vehicle. In the late afternoon, the group heads out on a sunset cruise on Lake Kariba.
Matusadona to Kariba
We cross the lake from Changa/Spurwing to Kariba on the Mhofu Ferry, with vehicles carried across on three ferries. The crossing takes about 3½ to 4 hours. Kariba town was built at the site of the hydroelectric dam on the Zambezi. Tonight we camp at Lomagundi Lakeside, where hippos graze the lawns after dark.
Kariba to Mana Pools
After breakfast, we restock and refuel in Kariba and head about 180 km to Mana Pools, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the far north of Zimbabwe. It covers 2,500 km² and has the country’s highest concentration of hippos and crocodiles. We spend two nights at Nyamepi on the Zambezi and explore the park by day. Entry fees are paid in USD cash on arrival.
Mana Pools to Lion’s Den
We head south to Lion’s Den, about 25 km outside Chinhoyi Caves, to buy good-quality meat for the nights ahead in Gonarezhou. Lunch is a burger or steak roll at Lion’s Den, where we camp tonight.
Lion’s Den to Great Zimbabwe
After a bacon-and-egg breakfast roll, we drive about 455 km to Masvingo. The Great Zimbabwe Hotel sits 800 m from the Great Zimbabwe Monuments, Africa’s largest stone structure after the Egyptian pyramids. A visit to the ruins is optional and at your own cost. The group has dinner together at the hotel tonight.
Great Zimbabwe to Gonarezhou National Park
After a group breakfast, we drive about 380 km, stocking up in Triangle, Chiredzi, for three nights in Gonarezhou. This is Zimbabwe’s second-largest national park, covering 5,053 km² from the Save River to the Mwenezi River. We camp on the banks of the Runde River at Chinguli.
Gonarezhou National Park
A day at leisure to enjoy the park.
Chinguli to Swimuwini
We head about 120 km south to Swimuwini, “place of the Baobabs”, overlooking the Mwenezi River at Buffalo Bend. Tonight is in shared self-catering houses, with a bedroom for each couple or guest and shared living areas. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Gonarezhou to Xai-Xai, Mozambique
We say goodbye to Zimbabwe and cross into Mozambique at the Sango/Chicualacuala border. Customs can take 1–2 hours, and the day’s drive is about 8 hours. Our base for the next three nights is East Africa Safaris, about 250 km north of Maputo between inland lakes and coastal dunes.
Xai-Xai
Two days at leisure on the coast. Optional activities at your own cost include deep-sea fishing charters, snorkelling, quad biking, bird watching, a safe swimming beach and rock and surf fishing. Our final group dinner is on the evening of 8 May.
Tour ends — Xai-Xai
We have a last breakfast together at the lodge restaurant before saying goodbye. The Lebombo border post at Komatipoort is about 3 hours away.
Two tour leaders, the permits, the ferry and the fees for two parks. You bring the 4×4.
Included
- 15 nights’ accommodation: 13 nights camping (including 1 night of wild camping with no facilities en route to Matusadona), 1 night in a hotel room at the Great Zimbabwe Hotel, and 1 night in shared two-bedroom self-catering houses at Swimuwini, Gonarezhou NP (shared bathroom)
- 4 lodge/guest house dinners
- 3 lodge breakfasts, plus 1 breakfast roll at Lion’s Den
- 1 light lunch (burger or steak roll) at Lion’s Den
- Sunset cruise on Lake Kariba at Matusadona National Park
- Mhofu Ferry crossing from Spurwing to Kariba with vehicles
- Matusadona Park conservation and vehicle fees
- Gonarezhou Park conservation and vehicle fees
- All planning and concession permits
- Two-way radios for vehicles
- Tour leader/guide in own vehicle
Not included
- Medical and travel insurance (compulsory)
- Your own 4×4 vehicle, fully equipped for camping
- All camping gear
- Fuel
- Zimbabwe park fees for other parks (Mana Pools), paid at the office and gate
- Cross-border fees
- All other dinners and breakfasts
- Lunches, snacks and drinks
- Activities or entrance fees not specified, including optional sites we may visit if route and time allow
- Tips and gratuities
Note: You must be fully self-sufficient for the night of wild camping, including your own water, shower and toilet. The route is suitable for 4×4 vehicles, and towing off-road trailers or bush caravans is possible.
One scheduled departure in 2027.
Price is per person sharing. Single supplement on request. Minimum 14, maximum 18 guests in 9 vehicles. Concession fees, taxes and park fees may change without prior notice, and any increase will be passed on. The exact route and overnight stops may change because of route deviations or unforeseen events.
Use a currency converter for an approximate figure in your local currency, noting that the final cost is determined by the exchange rate at the time of confirmation and payment.